XF 2.2 Password-protect test forum

[lg19]

Hi, I’ve just installed XenForo in a subdirectory and am wondering how to password-protect it for testing purposes. Thanks in advance for any help or advice!

 

[Paul B]

Follow this guide and apply it to the directory where XF is installed:

Protecting admin.php, the /install directory, and test & development installations using .htaccess

If you want to provide an extra layer of protection to admin.php, the /install directory, and test & development installations, you can do so with .htaccess authentication. Protecting admin.php To protect admin.php, edit the .htaccess file...

xenforo.com

 

[lg19]

Thank you @Brogan!

 

[Mendalla]

The version of cPanel I am on actually provides a fairly usable GUI for setting passwords on folders called Directory Privacy. You just click Edit next to the directory you want to protect and add the accounts and password. It's what I use now to maintain security on my dev rather than messing with .htpasswd and .htaccess.

 

[lg19]

Thank you @Mendalla - I figured yesterday that Directory Privacy corresponds to “Password Protect Directories” as referred to in the guide @Brogan linked. So, just to be clear, if I am working with a team of forum admin/mods at this stage, I create a user for each of them, right?

 

[Paul B]

Just create one username/password and distribute it to the team.

 

[Mendalla]

Just create one username/password and distribute it to the team.

I use two, one for admins plus a second for mods or others who might help with testing changes. That way I can limit access to admins only (by changing the second) except when I need others involved.

But in general, yeah, one is enough.

 

[lg19]

Thank you @Brogan and @Mendalla! I think I’ll have to create a separate one for admins and mods, as my team wants to involve a few test users from our organisation during this phase.

 

[lg19]

Some of my mods get a 401 error when trying to re-access the test site after they were successful the first time. Could someone advise what could be the cause, and how to resolve it? Thanks!

 

[Paul B]

It's going to be something server side, or client side - nothing which XF would be involved in.

401 Unauthorized - HTTP | MDN

The HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) 401 Unauthorized response status code indicates that the client request has not been completed because it lacks valid authentication credentials for the requested resource.

developer.mozilla.org

What Is a 401 Status Code?

HTTP Status Code 401: The request has not been applied because it lacks valid authentication credentials for the target resource.

httpstatuses.com

You will likely need to get your host or sysadmin to look into it.

 

[lg19]

OK, thank you @Brogan